Author: steps2successwithspiritualsolutions

It takes faith, trust, courage, and perseverance to serve God in today's unstable world. Yet, we are never alone. Pray every day and pray often. Study the Bible. The Scriptures are a Love Letter from God to those who accept Jesus as their personal Savior. You will receive comfort, knowledge, and wisdom from the Holy Spirit. "I have loved you with an everlasting love." Jeremiah 31:3. Be blessed in Jesus' name. Amen.

Staying Alert–The Signs of His Coming

Devotional—The Struggle of Sanctification—Staying Alert—The Signs of His Coming

On September 23rd, Florida’s Governor, Ron DeSantis declared a State of Emergency due to the active hurricane Ian. Although the West Coast [Tampa, Clearwater, and St. Petersburg] will suffer a direct impact, the land-falling hurricane is expected to impact 67 counties with damaging winds, torrential downpours, and flooding.

Florida residents including myself realize that preparation for safety and meeting our basic needs are of vital importance. If necessary, we intend to evacuate our homes to stay out of harm’s way. If a person does not prepare for the pending storms they are warned about, then they will not anticipate and have an emergency preparedness for unexpected storms.

We acknowledge that our world is in a spiritual state of emergency. Even so, many believers are apathetic toward the Second Coming of Jesus.

“Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Jesus privately, saying ‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’” Matthew 24:3

“All of these are the beginnings of sorrows.” Matthew 24:8

1. “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” (Matthew 24:6-7, first part). The war between Russia and Ukraine appears to be a senseless act of oppression against those who desire freedom. And China has vowed aggression against Taiwan. Regardless of the delay, President Biden has promised Taiwan that the United States will fight their battle if China wages war against them.

2. “And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places” (Matthew 24:7, last part). “Today, the world stands on the brink of unprecedented famines. About 30 million people are experiencing alarming hunger, severe levels of food insecurity and malnutrition in north-eastern Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia, and Yemen.” https://www.oxfam.org/ Do we need to mention the never-ending pestilence of COVID-19 that has claimed six million lives? While we eagerly welcome the cooler fall season, we will also face a new COVID variant.

Trending now:  Politicians, entertainers, and self-appointed prophets who are comparing themselves to Jesus Christ. Yet, the greatest deception will be Satan’s Impersonation of Jesus’ Second Coming. Without biblical knowledge, many will be deceived by the rumor of Jesus’ appearance on a mountain or in a certain country.

1. “And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many” Matthew 24:4-5.
2. “Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not” (Matthew 24:26).

Time is not on our side. Satan desires for us to think that we have ample time to prepare for the future. The busyness of our daily schedules along with pursuing our heart’s desires leaves little to no time to worship. Without intentional obedience to God’s will, we lose sight of the importance of studying the Scriptures and having a consistent life of prayer. It is the Holy Spirit who gives us discernment of the truth when worshiping our Heavenly Father.

The last days are upon us! Changing our mindset to live comfortably [as if Jesus is coming much later] has placed many in a state of spiritual slumber. Preparing for Jesus is a daily commitment. Truthfully, how often do you think of living eternally in the New Heaven and New Earth? When we surrender our hearts to Jesus, we possess the spiritual mindset of a sojourner [traveler] who is just passing through.

Live daily with the expectation that Jesus will fulfill His promise in John 14:1-3. Stay awake and stay alert!

Prayer: God, in our busyness, we have lost sight of Jesus’ promise to come again. We surrender and recommit our lives to You. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Eliminating Ungodly Relationships and Conversations

Devotional—The Struggle of Sanctification—Eliminating Ungodly Relationships and Conversations

Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. –2 Timothy 2:16 NIV

A few days ago, I said good afternoon to my neighbor with the intention of not having a lengthy conversation. Yet, the question, “Do you have sugar ants in your apartment?” resulted in listening to mindless chatter [not gossip] which included him saying a few careless words of profanity. When I reached the point of no more, I ended it pleasantly with “Enjoy the rest of your day.”

The comparison of a child’s brain to a sponge within the first six years of life substantiates the reason a young child who hears profanity will repeat it again and again. Unless adults have a cognitive impairment, our brains also process and retain the ungodly conversations we listen to.

Yes, later, my mind kept playing back the conversation. As I reflected on my lifestyle, I asked myself when is the last time I listened to a conversation with profanity. I prayed for forgiveness and began to listen to praise and worship music. Yet, it took a couple of days for my brain to forget the conversation.

The Deception of the Familiar

Satan uses the noise of social media, current news, and familiar people to flood our minds with sinful distractions. Watching the worldly behaviors of high-profile individuals whether in fashion, sports, or entertainment appears to be exciting but is detrimental. Always keeping current with the negativity of daily news will push one into thinking that God is not in control of this earth. Our selection of streaming and Cablevision programs indicates our preferences for the information we feed our souls. 

Feeding our senses with pleasure fulfills our carnal desires. Our thoughts and habits change as we lose the desire to pray, study the Bible, and live righteously.

“Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’” (1 Corinthians 15:33)

Many Christians feel they are in a dilemma when they accept Jesus as their Savior. How do we interact with unbelievers, especially when they are friends or family members? Are we supposed to completely cut them off? Do they respect and honor God? Our spiritual conversion requires us to witness [with courage] that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. The truth must be combined with love. Our declaration begins with a simple explanation to our friends and family, “I made the decision to serve God and I can no longer talk about or do the things that I used to do.”

Warning: Serving God can lead to a lonely walk in life. As time passes, you may notice a decline in their phone calls and invitations for you to attend get-togethers. It isn’t easy to take up our cross and follow Christ. Still, we must remain steadfast in declining conversations and invites that compromise our relationship with Jesus.

They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. (Jude 1:18-19)

In 2017, I received a call from my uncle who was celebrating his birthday. “Hi niece, some friends are giving me a birthday party Friday night at a place downtown. I know that you are Christian, but there are some tables that are not near the liquor.” I did not get offended. I laughed and responded, Yes, uncle, I am a Christian, thank you for the invite, but I cannot come, have a great time. The irony of the call, a few days before his bar party, my uncle along with most of my cousins, and I met at a restaurant to celebrate his birthday.

Satan will use whoever he has to to make us fall. Our temptations come from those who we are close to and from strangers.  Do not become upset with the person, this is spiritual warfare that the Apostle Paul tells us to be girded up for in Ephesians chapter 6. The struggle is real, but victory is sure when our relationship with Christ is number one in our lives.

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also].’” (Matthew 16:24, Amplified)

There is no middle ground or gray area in serving God. To fulfill our divine purpose, we will have to give up familiar people, places, and things that do not bring honor and glory to God. Stay prayerful and be led by the Holy Spirit.

Prayer: God, we ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the ungodly habits that are keeping us from living righteously. We ask this prayer in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Jesus, the Sin Bearing Messiah

Devotional—The Struggle of Sanctification—Jesus, the Sin Bearing Messiah

Do you remember whistling teapots? When the pressure from the boiling water reached a certain point, the teapot started whistling. But the noise did not stop immediately even though the pot was removed from the burner. As the pressure decreased the sound of the whistle slowly ceased. Yet, the water was still hot.

Two days ago, the United Nations Secretary-General issued this statement, “We are gridlocked in colossal global dysfunction,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, adding that “our world is in peril — and paralyzed.” AP News

On September 14th, the headlines read, “The world has never been in a better position to end the COVID-19 pandemic, the head of the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, his most optimistic outlook yet on the years-long health crisis which has killed over six million people.” Reuters.com

On September 20th, Fortune Well published a COVID update, “Just in time for fall, there’s a brand-new COVID variant making headway in the U.S.”

The majority’s reaction to our world predicament is to keep moving forward with their plans. Most people are sick and tired of hearing that things are worsening. Many have joined the movement of relocating to a country dwelling, growing a garden large enough to be self-sustaining, and homeschooling their children. Although there is nothing wrong with improving the quality of one’s life, we cannot stop the rapid progression from living in the last days to reaching the end of time.

We have reached the boiling point and the burner is at a high temperature. According to the Scriptures, our high alert of a critical status will worsen. “For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

Before God created the earth, He knew that Adam and Eve would disobey and sin. The Plan of Salvation that mandated the death of Jesus was made before God said, “… ‘Let there be light…” (Genesis 1:3). Jesus committed to becoming our sacrificial Lamb so we may have the opportunity for eternal life.

The prophet Isaiah received God’s message that Jesus was our sin-bearing Messiah. “He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him” (Isaiah 53:3). Yes, Jesus was rejected by the majority of those He came to seek, serve, and save. And sadly, many present-day believers have also rejected Christ through the disobedience of self-gratifying pursuits.

Every Christian believer is aware of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Yet, due to the delay of Jesus’ Second Coming, many have grown comfortable living in their temporary earthly home. We have become paralyzed—we do not hear the whistling of this warning “these are the last days of earth’s history, Jesus is coming soon.”

Thankfully, God always has a remnant of people who are diligently seeking and serving Him. In Romans chapter 11, the Apostle Paul tells of the conversation between God and the prophet Elijah when Queen Jezebel threatened to kill him. “Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life?’ But what does the divine response say to him? ‘I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal’” (verses 3 and 4).

“So too at the present time, there is a remnant, chosen by grace” (Romans 11:5). Jesus did not die in vain! The Apostle John saw a great multitude, which no man could number who received their reward of eternal life. We must wake up to recognize the warnings that God is sending. Like David, we should pray daily for God to search our hearts for any wickedness and repent. Ask for the anointing of the Holy Spirit and continue to witness to others that Jesus is our Savior, Deliverer, and Heavenly Intercessor.

Prayer: God, we pray that You would search our hearts and reveal the sins that would keep us from receiving our reward of eternal life. We ask this prayer in the Worthy name of Jesus, Amen.